Casa de Luz

I am in presently serving on the leadership team of a new Spanish speaking congregation that Willow Creek is trying to start in the NW suburbs call Casa de Luz. Today, 1/2 of the 1.3 million Latinos that live in our metroplex live in the city (many in La Villita) and the other half live in the suburbs.

This would have been unthinkable 15 years ago, but dramatizes the amazing explosion of the Latino community into every corner of our nation. We hosted a dinner of arrachera and all the works last night at our home, with the new pastor of this effort, Hector Hermosillo (former pastor in Mexico City, and leader of Torre Fuerte, a Christian music/worship band), Hector's wife Gaby, and a few others that serve on the team.

As I drove the entire group around La Villita, Hector was blown away by seeing this thriving Mexican barrio in the midwest. He also confessed how much he needs to learn about Mexicans, and all Latinos living in the USA.

As the evening unfolded, I was amazed again by the incredible diversity of the Latino community. Around our table, we had Mexican, Chicano, Argentinean, Dominican, Anglo-Latino (a white brother that throws down with his Spanish & loves the Latino culture). Marianne was surprised that not many of our guests used salsa (hot) on their food, until I told her where everyone was from!

Our mestizo-mosaic blend of cultures is a great blessing as we seek to understand the broader mestizaje that is going on in our nation and world. Bienvenidos Hector y Gaby a los estados unidos.